The next European elections will take place between June 6 and 9, 2024, this Friday was decided at the meeting of the ambassadors of the member states to the European Union (EU), after lack of consensus due to Portugal’s opposition to the predetermined date.
“This was the predetermined date and due to the lack of consensus among EU member states on an alternative, it will be the date that will apply,” European sources told the Lusa bureau at the end of the meeting of the permanent representatives of European countries, in Brussels. .
According to the same sources, “there were suggestions for other dates”, namely at the request of Portugal, “but no alternative received the necessary unanimity”.
Official approval of the date for the 2024 European Parliament elections will take place next week in the General Affairs Council.
June 10 is a national holiday, marking the Day of Portugal, Camões and the Portuguese Communities, and June 13 is a public holiday in Lisbon, so the Portuguese government fears a lower turnout and has tried to change the date, without success.
The proposal discussed this Friday in Coreper, to which the Lusa Bureau had access, “determined the period normally applicable to the elections to the European Parliament, which for the 2024 elections is the period from 6 to through June 9, 2024”.
That document provided that “if it turns out that it is impossible to hold elections to the European Parliament during that period, the Council, acting unanimously”, will set another date, but there was no consensus on an alternative.
The last two European elections, in 2019 and 2014, were held at the end of May, after the 27 member states agreed to change the original date of the elections.
The only time European elections were ‘glued’ to public holidays was in 1994: they were held on the Sunday of 12 June, with Portugal Day on the Friday before and Saint Anthony’s Day in Lisbon the following Monday.
Source: DN
